Welcome to the NHK – The Complete Series (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

September 4, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“’Welcome to the NHK’ features quite a number of unexpected but many highly entertaining plot twists for an anime series. Definitely one of the most entertaining anime series I have seen in long time! Top-notch storytelling, wonderful animation and for the most part, this anime series is highly recommended!“

DVD TITLE: Welcome to the NHK – The Complete Series

DURATION: 24 Episodes, 4 DVD’s (600 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: 16:9, English 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound, Japanese Stereo, English Subtitles

COMPANY: GONZO/FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: TV MA

Release Date: August 25, 2009

Based on a novel by Tatsuhiko Takimoto

Directed by Yusuke Yamamoto

Series Composition/Screenplay: Satoru Nishizono

Music by the Pearl Brothers

Character Design by Masashi Ishihama, Takahiko Yoshida

Art Director: Hiroshi Igaki

Chief Animation Director: Takahiko Yoshida

Anime Production: GONZO

Featuring the following voice talent:

Yutaka Koizumi/Chris Patton as Tatsuhiro Sato

Daisuke Sakaguchi/Greg Ayres as Kaoru Yamazaki

Yui Makino as Misaki Nakahara

Sanae Kobayashi/Luci Christian as Hitomi Kashiwa

Risa Hayamizu/Monica Rial as Megumi Kobayashi

Mayumi Shou/Christine Auten as Shizue Sato

Yoku Shioya as Hikikomori-Alien

Sato’s life – or what’s left of it – is a paranoid mess of conspiracy theories and social anxieties. He’s terrified of the outside world; his apartment is overflowing with the remnants of cheap take-out food; and his retinas have been permanently scarred by a steady diet of internet porn. But maybe it’s not all his fault. After all, the nefarious N-H-K is out there, and they’re determined to turn society’s fringe-dwellers into a brainwashed lot of jobless, hopeless, future recluses.

Enter Misaki – a mysterious girl-next-door type who is Sato’s last chance to beat down his inner demons and venture out in the light of day. She’s ready to help him overcome his crippling phobias, but Sato would rather cover in his existential foxhole and pretend to work on the demo for his virtual sex game.

He’s afraid to face the world. She’s strangely desperate to fix a total stranger. Maybe together they can be normal.

Hikikomori - A Japanese term that refers to social phenomenon when individuals who are reclusive and withdraw fro social life and live in isolation.

NEET - An acronym for “Not in Employment, Education or Training”. A term developed in the UK but now used in Japan, China and South Korea for those who are 15-34 year-olds who are unemployed, not enrolled in school, engaged in any housework or training.

“Welcome to the NHK” is unique, fresh and for the most part, highly entertaining! It’s a bit of everything and the overall build up to the final half of the series is surprising, captivating and just overall fantastic.

Based on the novel by Tatsuhiko Takimoto and published in Kadokawa Shoten in 2002, an anime series was created in 2006 and for the most part, has received positive reviews. Originally released on DVD by ADV Films, the series is one of the titles transferred to FUNimation Entertainment and now the whole collection is available in one complete set.

The anime series is directed by Yusuke Yamamoto (who has worked on anime such as “Arjuna”, “Mobile Suit Victory Gundam” and “Twin Spica”), a screenplay by Satoru Nishizono (“.Hack/Legend of the Twilight”, “Hellgirl”, “MazinKaiser” and “Naruto”) and character designs by Masashi Ishihama (“Kite”, “Ninku the Movie” and “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time”) and Takahiko Yoshida (“Big Windup!”, “Gad Guard” and “SaiKano”). Anime production is by GONZO (“Samurai Girl: Real Bout High School”, “Vandread”, “Samurai 7″, “Afro Samurai”, “Gantz”, etc.).

The series “Welcome to the NHK” (aka N.H.K. ni Yokoso!) revolves around a man named Tatsuhiro Sato, a college dropout and a man who has become a “hikikomori” and a “NEET”. He literally has been stuck in his apartment for four years as a recluse and has not had any public contact with anyone. He knows he needs to get a job in order to pay the bills but he is so scared that everyone is talking bad about him and staring at him that he is to afraid to go out in public. All he brings close to him is his memories of his senpai, a former student named Hitomi Kashiwa who always felt that humans were being brought down by conspiracies. But that was then, when he was a high school student… this is now. He’s just a recluse and now he is starting to believe his senpai’s conspiracies which he calls “Nihon Hikikomori Kyokai” (N.H.K.), those responsible for the conspiracy to turn people into hikikomori and NEET’s.

But his life starts to change when a girl named Misaki Nakahara offers him to be part of a program in order to rid him of his “hikikomori” ways and discovers that the next door neighbor that has been annoying him for over a month with his loud anime music and old acquaintance Kaoru Yamazaki.

Here is a basic summary of the main characters of “Welcome to the N.H.K.”:

Tatsuhiro Sato – A college dropout who has become a hikikomori and a NEET. Has been a recluse, stuck in his apartment for four years and is afraid of society. He imagines them all talking about him, thinking bad about him and more. He is funded by his parents and only goes out when he needs to get food. His life starts to change when he gains two friends…Kaoru Yamazaki and Misaki Nakahara. But also, his old senpai from high school, Hitomi Kashiwa, when she returns back into his life.
Kaoru Yamazaki - A hardcore otaku who was bullied when he was in high school. He knows Sato from a time when Sato tried to protect him from bullies (and Sato ended up getting beaten up as well). He is game developer, attends a vocation school on game design and loves the character “Puri Purin”. Known for his love of figurines and hentai/moe video games (eroge) and his anger towards people who don’t understand moe or otaku culture. He teams up with Sato in order to develop a hentai video game.
Misaki Nakahara – A mysterious girl who befriends Sato in order to rid his “hikikomori” ways. She creates a contract that if Sato does not complete his training, he will owe her a million yen. But there is more to her character and that she may be the one that needs Sato more than anything.
Hitomi Kashiwa – Sato’s Senpai. Always sarcastic, Hitomi believes that her life is hindered because of conspiracies. In fact, she talks about to Sato during their time at the Literary Club of their high school (as they were the only two members).
Megumi Kobayashi - She was Sato’s class rep back in high school. She is into multi-level marketing and wants to recruit Sato. But there is more to the story of why she wants to meet up with Sato, as her brother is also a hardcore hikikomori.

“Welcome to the NHK – The Complete Series” features a total of 24 episodes on four DVD’s. Here is a spoiler-less summary of each episode:

DISC 1:

EPISODE 1- Welcome to the Project! – The introduction to Sato and his first meting with Misaki Nakahara who claims that she can cure him of his hikikomori way.
EPISODE 2 – Welcome to the Creator! – Sato discovers that his neighbor that has driven him nuts with his loud music is his college acquaintance Kaoru Yamazaki.
EPISODE 3 – Welcome to the Beautiful Girls! – Yamazaki introduces Sato to erotic video games (eroge).
EPISODE 4 – Welcome to the New World! – Sato gets addicted to eroge and Yamazaki introduces him to Akihabara. Sato runs to his high school senpai Hitomi Kashiwa.
EPISODE 5 – Welcome to the Counseling! – Sato decides to sign the Misaki’s contract and get help to cure his hikikomori way.
EPISODE 6 – Welcome to the Classroom! – When Sato is told by Misaki that Yamazaki has a girlfriend, it drives Sato nuts.

DISC 2:

EPISODE 7 – Welcome to the Moratorium! – Sato’s mother wants to check in on him and thus Sato tries to put up a facade that he has a girlfriend (played by Misaki).
EPISODE 8 – Welcome to a China Town! – With his mother coming to visit, both Sato and Misaki pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend.
EPISODE 9 – Welcome to a Summer Day! – Yamazaki tries to sell sample of their video game, meanwhile Sato thinks about Misaki.
EPISODE 10 – Welcome to the Dark Side! – Sato and Yamazaki think that Misaki is up to something and wonder why she is really trying to help Sato out.
EPISODE 11 – Welcome ot the Conspiracy! – With Sato and Yamazaki planning to showcase their finalized game at Natsucomi, Hitomi wants Sato to join her for something important on that same day.
EPISODE 12 – Welcome to the “Off” Meeting! – Sato thinks he’s going on mini-vacation with Hitomi to an island but discovers that the people she has joined with are part of something that could be tragic.

DISC 3:

EPISODE 13 – Welcome to Paradise! – Sato discovers the group that Hitomi has joined with and now gets entangled with their suicide pact.
EPISODE 14 – Welcome to Reality! – After the events from the last episode, the group gets to learn about themselves and who they could have hurt.
EPISODE 15 – Welcome to the Fantasy! – Sato’s mother has bad news…she’s cutting his allowance in half. Now Sato is desperate to make money… by becoming an S.M.T. (gold trader) on a MMORPG.
EPISODE 16 – Welcome to Game Over! – Sato becomes addicted to the MMORPG and both Yamazaki and Misaki try to help him.
EPISODE 17 – Welcome to Happiness! – Sato receives a call from his class rep, Megumi Kobayashi from high school and she wants to meet with him.
EPISODE 18 – Welcome to No Future! – Having been caught up in Megumi’s multi-level marketing business known as Mouse Road, now he is stuck with all these items. Yamazaki and Misaki try to help him out of it.

DISC 4:

Episode 19 – Welcome to the Blue Bird! – Megumi’s kikikomori brother has gone missing.
Episode 20 – Welcome to Winter Days! – Yamazaki’s father is ill and must go back to his hometown in the countryside.
Episode 21 – Welcome to Reset! – Due to what happened in the last episode, Yamazaki must move back to his hometown. Thus leaving Sato all alone.
Episode 22 – Welcome to the God! – It’s the final test for Sato and Misaki wants him to go with her to a New Year’s eve festival where there would be many people. But what happens when the two become separated?
Episode 23 – Welcome to Misaki! - Misaki comes up with a new contract and for some reason, she’s bring up discussions about popular figures who have committed suicide. Meanwhile, Sato’s parents have cut off his allowance and with no money, Sato is forced to get a job.
Episode 24 – Welcome to the N-H-K! – Misaki finds a message in her book left behind in the hospital, Sato knows he must now rescue Misaki.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Welcome to the NHK” features one of the coolest animation I have seen for a television series. Not only are the colors vibrant but there is a lot of detail in creating the environment. May it be Sato’s messy room with empty kleenex boxes, empty beer cans and posters of young women on the walls; Yamazaki’s room filled with figurines and books; Misaki’s nice home; scenes from areas around Tokyo…there are plenty of artistic backgrounds, items that showcase the lives of the individuals and the places that they live and more. Even during the dreamlike sequences, there is quite a bit of detail in the artwork.

This is quite uncommon to see this much in a television series. Typically, anime series are facing tight schedules to get their episodes on television and thus there is some skimping done on artistic backgrounds and what you would seen in the overall scene but somehow Gonzo animation went all out in making sure the world of “Welcome to the NHK” was well.

Of course, there is only one quirk that I have in the animation and that is during the series, everyone has different types of clothing but for Misaki, later on in the series, she tends to wear the same t-shirt and blue skirt almost all the time. Even during the cold and snowy winter, I wonder why she would wear a skirt all the time. Granted, she may be a frugal character but it’s one thing that made me wonder with all the daily changes in the other characters, why not her.

As for picture quality, the anime is presented in 16:9 and for the most part color is well-done. Although, I did notice on my 51″, there are these marks that would show up. Not compression artifacts but something that was probably in the film. It’s not noticeable unless you really look and it’s more evident on larger screen televisions and possibly more on a larger viewing (via a projector screen). But for those who watch the series in a smaller set or computer screen will probably not see it.

As for the audio, the audio is presented in English 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound and Japanese stereo. I watched the series in both English and Japanese and both are very well done. The English dub has a more mature sound as Sato and Yamazaki do use profanity which makes their situation quite believable but the Japanese version excels more in the emotional scenes of the female characters, especially Yui Makino’s Misaki. Overall, both English and Japanese are done well.

The series is pretty much front and center channel for the 5.1 track driven due to the series being a more dialogue-driven but for both audio, I preferred to watch the series with my receiver setting at stereo on all channels.

As for subtitles, the series is presented with English subtitles.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Welcome to the NHK – The Complete Series” comes with the following special features:

DISC 1:

Clean Opening and Closing Animation

DISC 4:

FUNimation Entertainment Trailers

I can’t tell you how pleased I am with “Welcome to the NHK”. I enjoyed this series tremendously.

I watched the first volume when the anime was first released and entertaining as it was, I thought it was your typical adult comedy style of anime series about two guys trying to work on an erotic video game series and the main plot was a hikikomori teaming up with an otaku. How wrong I was. This series is dramatic and although it does carry a lot of humorous-style of storylines, the series does get serious and quite deep.

From problems of people becoming hikikomori and NEET’s, excessive spending on merchandise (when one can’t really afford it), addiction to MMORPG video games but also touching upon a major problem in Japan which is suicide. Needless to say, there is a message in “Welcome to the NHK” and the message is that there is hope.

The way that the screenplay adaption of the novel was done and how there is a build-up in these episodes, there are just a good number of plots that takes the three main characters in interesting directions and so, this series is not exactly simple or for those expecting humorous adult humor. This is a well-planned, well-written and most of all, a well-animated anime series.

I do feel that this series all comes down to what one is expecting. I believe there will be a group who wants that storyline (ala “Genshiken”) about two people trying to create an erotic video game and showcase that otaku culture and be surprised (or dismayed) of how the series suddenly turns dramatic and serious in the second half. But for me, I enjoyed every episode and the various parts of Japanese culture that is touched upon. Showing that even certain things that people enjoy can definitely become problematic when one starts to neglect their life and personal responsibilities. And the way the show was written, the good news is that the messages were carefully intertwined with the episode’s storyline and by no means is the message preachy.

For those wondering about the TV MA rating, the series does have adult humor and situations. There is little nudity towards the end of the series but it’s mainly adult humor and the English dub uses profanity.

As mentioned in the video and audio portion of this review, the animation on this DVD is above most television-based anime. Where a lot of TV anime are rushed to get onto TV (and some created mere hours before they air), “Welcome to the NHK” is one of those few rare television series that manages to be vibrant, detailed and for the most part beautiful. You can’t help but laugh at the surroundings of Sato and Yamazaki’s homes. And both Japanese and English voice talents do an excellent job for this series.

Overall, I just felt that “Welcome to the NHK” is just a magnificent anime series. Highly recommended!

Filed Under: Anime on DVD, TV BOXSETS: DVD/Blu-ray

ZIPANG Vol. 1 – “Future Shock” (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

September 16, 2008 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“A very interesting sci-fi storyline that poses the question of, if one were on a Japanese modern war ship and is somehow transported to the past during World War II, do you help your your countrymen knowing history that Japan lost the war using the latest in technology against the Americans or do you stay far away not to disrupt history.”

DVD INFORMATION:

DVD TITLE: ZIPANG Vol. 1 “Future Shock”

DURATION: 100 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Animated, Color, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC, 16:9

COMPANY: GENEON

RATINGS: Suggested 13 and up, War Scenes, Mature Theme

STAFF INFORMATION:

ORIGINAL AUTHOR: Kawaguchi Kaiji

DIRECTOR/SERIES STRUCTURE: Furuhashi Kazuhiro

SCRIPT: Taked Yuichiro

MAIN CHARACTER DESIGN: Umakoshi Yoshihiko

MECHANICAL DESIGN: Kohara Shohei and Nishinaka YAsuhiro

ART DIRECTOR: Sakamoto Nobuhito

3D DIRECTOR: Baba Naruhiro

COLOR DESIGN: Matsumoto Shinji

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Kawaguchi asayuki

EDITOR: Matsumura Masahiro

SOUND DIRECTOR: Hiramitsu Takuya

MUSIC: Sahashi Toshihiko

ANIMATION STUDIO: STUDIO DEEN

A Ripple in Time Turns the Crucial Tide of WWII.

Scheduled for routine military exercises, Commander Kadomatsu and the crew of Japan’s newest and most modern battlecruiser, the Mirai, are ready to test out the ship’s state-of-the-art Aegis System. Instead, they find themselves transported back to June 4, 1942 – date of the crucial battle of Midway, where the Japanese fleet was dealt a crippling blow. When an overzealous Kadomatsu rescues one of the battle’s victims, Kusaka, from a sinking zero fighter, the Mirai’s fate is sealed.

The crew pledges not to do anything to alter the past further, however, they’re now forced to fight a U.S. submarine in a battle that should never have occurred, thus setting of a chain of events that may forever change the flow of history!

I have to admit that I really didn’t know too much about this anime. After watching “Submarine 707R”, I wanted to watch another anime that dealt with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force and another series that features the latest in technology of the military carried out on sea. Especially since the original author of the manga series, Kawaguchi Kaiji was the original author of the classic anime OAV “Silent Service”.

So, what better than to watch the anime series “Zipang”, a series that is based on an ongoing (and award winning) manga series by Kawaguchi Kaiji. The manga was made into a 26-episode TV series in 2004 and was released on DVD by Geneon in 2006.

The storyline is about the latest in Japanese technology, the modern battlecruiser known as the Mirai. The Mirai and the crew of the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force is off to Pearl Harbor to meet up with the US for training but during their travel to Japan, they notice a strange occurence with the skies and the Mirai is hit by a bolt of lighting. Next thing you know, the Mirai and its crew are transported back to 1942 during World War II.

The main storyline focuses on three close friends and members of the SDF who are stationed on the Mirai:

Kadomatsu Yosuke – Second in Command of the Mirai and has a sense of duty to protect people. Yosuke’s actions is what changes the course of history when he rescues an Imperial Japanese Navy Commissioned Officer Kusaka Izumi. A man who should of perished in battle.

Kikuchi Masayuki – Gunnery officer and third in command and in the beginning of the anime series, is totally against getting involved in fear that the Mirai and crew could change history.

Oguri Kouhei – Navigation officer and shares the duty of third in command with Kikuchi. Of the three best friends, Oguri is the most outspoken.

Throughout the series, you are introduced to several other characters in the Mirai such as Captain Umezu Saburo and Lt. and Mirai medic, Momoi Sachiko.

In episode 1, “The Mirai Sets Sail”, the series features how the Mirai is transported sixty years into the past and try to understand what happened to them.

In episode 2, “Midway”, fortunately the Mirai has a history buff in its crew who tells them that on that day, June 4, 1942 is the Battle of Midway in which the Americans destroyed the Japanese fleet. Of course, the Mirai, has the power to possibly save the Japanese fleet but under Kikuchi’s logic, the Mirai and its crew should not interfere with history and should find a way to get back home.

In episode 3, “Drifters”, the crew debate to save a Japanese plane that has a survivor. Due to Kadomatsu’s sense of protecting lives, he saves the survivor (Kusaka Izumi) who happens to be an officer of the Imperial Navy. Kikuchi knows by Kadomatsu’s action, history will now be changed.

In episode 4, “Mirai’s Battle”, the Mirai returns to the spot they where they were transported back in time. While they wait to see if anything will happen to them, the Mirai is under attack by an American submarine. Of course, with technology on their side, the Mirai is able to escape from the torpedo’s but one of Kikuchi’s men who is caught up of having to decide if Japan should get their revenge on the Americans, fires a missle on his own against the submarine. Now the Mirai must decide whether or not they should attack the Americans or destroy the missle and knowing the Americans will relay info. about what they learned about the Mirai back to their headquarters.

Overall, the series is in good hands with Furuhashi Kazuhiro as director. Furuhashi has been a director for series like “Urusei Yatsura”, “You’re Under Arrest”, “Getbackers” and more. Character designer Umakoshi Yoshihiko created character designs for anime series such as “Street Fighter”, “Berserk” and “Air Master” and Takeda Yuichiro who wrote the screenplay will be known for his work on the multi-anime series “Banner of the Stars”.

VIDEO:

The video is featured in 16:9 and felt the animation looked great. With the waves of the ocean that ship makes, to the skies brilliantly painted to showcase a storm or a sunny day. The animation was very well done and the colors showcasing the darkness inside the Mirai to outdoor missions were well done. Character designs were well done as well.

AUDIO:

The audio is in Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 and I watched both the Japanese and English dub versions and both were well done. It would have been cool if the series was digital 5.1 to showcase the sound of the missiles and blasts but all in all, dialogue was clear and had no problems with it.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There wasn’t really any special features except three Geneon trailers and a clean opening and ending theme for the series.

I have to admit that “Zipang” features an interesting concept of time travel and if given the opportunity to have modern technology, would you help your countrymen from a different era or not disrupt history and you can see it among the crew of the Mirai. Loyalty to their country but at the same time, those who don’t know what effect by saving the Imperial Army will do in their timeline.

I will say that I am aware that the series ends with a cliffhanger and because the manga series is still ongoing, it’ll probably be quite sometime before another anime series is created or if it is ever created.

As for the anime, there are a total of seven volumes and vol. 1 can be found pretty inexpensively but finding the other volumes online is hit or miss and some are still being sold for regular price. I hope there will be a complete collection out for “Zipang” with the team up of Geneon and Funimation.

But overall, watching the first volume was quite intriguing and left me wanting more.

+ An experienced staff behind the anime series and created by Kawaguchi Kaiji, creator of “Silent Service”.

+ Very intriguing time travel anime series

+ Interesting perspective on modern technology vs. older technology used in war

+ Well done voice acting

- Hard to find complete online and because the manga series is not yet completed, the anime series ended with a cliffhanger. So, whether or not you want to start a tv series that is not final is up to the viewer.

BUY THIS DVD:

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

Banner of the Stars – Anime Legends Complete Collection (A J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

September 12, 2008 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“If you were hooked on ‘Crest of the Stars’, you owe yourself to watch the next chapter in the series known as ‘Banner of the Stars’”

DVD INFORMATION:

DVD TITLE: Banner of the Stars (aka Seikai no Senki)

DURATION: 325 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Animated, Color, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC

COMPANY: Bandai Entertainment

STAFF INFORMATION:

ORIGINAL NOVEL: Morioka Hiroyuki

DIRECTOR: Nagaoka Yasuchika

STORY: Yoshinaga Aya

CHARACTER DESIGN: Watabe Keisuke

ART DIRECTOR: Okada Tomoaki

MUSIC: Hattori Katsuhisa

MECHANICAL DESIGN: Shino Masanori, Tsuneki Shinobu, Moriki Yasuhiro

CAST

Lafiel – Kawasumi Ayako

Jinto Lin – Imai Yuka

Grieda – Uchikawa Ai

Saryush – Suyama Akio

Nantryua – Kurosaki Ayako

Plaxia Lexshue – Takashima Gara

Narrator – Jo Haruhiko

Three years have passed since Jinto and Lafiel’s first encounter and once again Jinto finds himself at Lafiel’s side. Now in command of her own assault ship, the Basroil, with Hinto serving as her supply officer, the two find themselves thrust into the middle of intergalactic conflict. However, will their efforts be enough to bring about peace? Based on the hit series of novels by Hiroyuki Morioka.

I was truly in love with “Crest of the Stars”, a storyline that featured a storyline about war, those who are human or landers who have been occupied by the Ahb Empire now fighting for their independence but in the middle of this war is an Ahb Princess (Lafiel) and a Count (Jinto Lin), who threw thick and thin fight for survival but trying to succeed together.

At the end of the series, the final episode flashed back four years later as Lafiel has now finished training and is a Captain of her own ship and crew. Jinto finished his training to become a supply officer on Lafiel’s ship.

The second television series “Banner of the Stars” continues where the first series left off. Where the first series is character driven and pretty much focused on Lafiel and Jinto’s adventures, the adventure does continue in “Banner of the Stars” but now that war has commenced, we are introduced to many more characters. Especially those who command various starships for the Abh Empire and those who lead the battle against the United Mankind.

There are no adventures in planets or cat and mouse type of storylines. In fact, “Banner of the Stars” is more like a Star Trek episode as you meet Lafiel’s crew and together, under Lafiel’s command, go into battle.

In a way there is an irony about this series as “Crest of the Stars”, you wonder if your allegiance would be towards the humans because the Abh Empire pretty much takes over other planets and the inhabitants are forced to become part of the Abh. But with Jinto’s situation of being the son of a traitor (his father gave up his planet to the Abh without a fight to become a leader of the planet), he questions where he belongs. What he calls home.

But in the end, you stick to it, because you enjoyed both Lafiel and Jinto together and hope there is a budding romance between the two. Obviously, the two are good for each other but how it works out and how they get even closer is not really focused on in the second series which may bum some viewers out. Especially, those who enjoyed the character development that was in place for “Crest of the Stars”.

But this series is full of space battles but what people who want some kind of sign that there is hope for romance for the two main characters will have to wait because the focus in this series is between the Abh Empire and how they will go against the forces of the United Mankind.

AUDIO:

I listened to both the English and Japanese audio. I actually enjoy both the Japanese and English voice work in the series and found myself really enjoying the English dub (this is coming from a guy who prefers his anime in Japanese). One thing I noticed on various online stores are reading people who were upset of the Abh language not being subtitled in the opening sequences. Same as “Crest of the Stars”, there are no translations but it should ruin it for you because it’s just the opening sequences and that is it.

VIDEO:

“Banner of the Stars” aired in April-June 2000 and considering that this series is eight years old, the animation still looks very good and doesn’t look dated. Whereas “Crest of the Stars” takes place in various settings, “Banner of the Stars” pretty much features the crew in their ship, their quarters and the same goes for the other commanding officers of the Empire. So, there are a lot of blues, blacks and grays. Not as many vibrant colors compared to “Crest of the Stars” but nevertheless, the animation continues to hold up quite fine.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The DVD features trailers, summaries but my favorite part was the creator of the manga series, Morioka Hiroyuki, chiming in on his feeling of each volume titled “Newsletters of the Stars”. Mainly text on screen, no video but Interesting comments by Morioka wanting to see the characters in a hot springs episode. That was quite amusing. Another was his comments made of a fellow voice actor in the series who passed away which was good to read.

I was hooked by the storyline of “Crest of the Stars” and fell in love with the series but “Banner of the Stars” is totally different with the fact that despite Lafiel and Jinto, the two main characters still are the main key characters in this series, the dialogue and banter, character development is held at a minimum since the focus is on the action and battle sequences. The war between the Abh Empire and United Mankind.

For those hoping to see more of the two get closer in terms of their friendship, you do get something and it’s held late in the final episode after the credits roll. So, make you sure you don’t miss that.

But all in all, this series is building up to something. What that something is, I don’t know. But I did enjoy the series overall for its space wars storyline. Miss the “Crest of the Stars” style of storyline but I’m staying in for the long run and preparing for the next series “Banner of the Stars II” and looking forward to the progression of the war storyline and of course, whatever happens between Lafiel and Jinto.

+ Characters you care about and a good balance with action!

+ Pretty cool space battles!

+ Well done voice acting on the Japanese dub by Kawasumi Ayako (Lafiel) and Imai Yuka (Jinto), as well as the voice acting in the English dub.

- For those expecting the same type of storyline as of “Crest of the Stars”, you may be disappointed that the series focuses more on strategy and the war itself.

BUY THIS DVD

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

Urusei Yatsura – Beautiful Dreamer (2nd movie) – (A J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

September 7, 2008 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“The classic ‘Urusei Yatsura’ film still looks great and very entertaining nearly 25 years later!”

DVD INFORMATION:

DVD TITLE: Urusei Yatsura

DURATION: 100 minutes

CATALOG #: USMD-2431

DVD INFORMATION: Animated, Collector’s Edition, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC

COMPANY: Central Park Media/US Manga Corps

RATING: Suggest 13 and Up

STAFF INFORMATION:

ORIGINAL CREATOR: Takahashi Rumiko

DIRECTOR/SCREEN WRITER: Oshii Mamoru

MUSIC: Hoshii Katsu

ART DIRECTOR: Kobayashii Shiichiro

PRODUCTION: Kitty Films/Toho

Famed director/screenwriter Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell, Jin-Roh: The Wolf Bridge and Patlabor: The Mobile Police) puts his own surreal stamp on the slapstick comedy by Rumiko Takahashi (creator of Inuyasha, Ranma 1/2 and Maison Ikkoku).

Ataru was a hopeless teenage loser until he met the beautiful space princess Lum. Now he’s a famous loser with a superpowered alien girlfriend! Lum’s very existence throws the spacetime continuum completely out of whack and Ataru’s high school is trapped in an alternate reality bursting with obnoxious aliens. Will love conqure all and return the starcrossed Ataru to normality? Not a chance!

It seems like for many anime viewers who have been watching anime for nearly or over three decades as I have has seem to comment on Urusei Yatsura’s 2nd movie “Beautiful Dreamer” as a film that would be a classic.

A film that would deviate from the comedic style of the TV series and although still retaining its humor, to really show an almost sci-fi, yet almost serious storyline thanks to director and screenwriter Oshii Mamoru.

Many people know what kind of cerebral anime that Oshii would create after this film but this is where his talent was first displayed and where many anime fans at that time would clamor of how this was the ultimate anime film.

Originally released in theaters back in 1984, the series really had some major politics behind-the-scenes as Oshii who was really ticked off with how he had to change things for the producers for the first film, wanted to do things his own style with the second film. Not only did series creator Takahashi Rumiko nearly canned the script, Oshii also drew the ire of anime fans of the popular series.

For me, back in the early 90′s “Urusei Yatsura”, “Ranma 1/2″ and “Maison Ikkoku” were Takahashi Rumiko fan favorites on the fan sub scene. In fact, I remember when she came to San Diego Comic Con in the early 90′s and rocker Matthew Sweet had a Lum tattoo. “Urusei Yatsura” had its major fandom and people really talked about this film nearly ten years after it first came out in theaters in Japan. And yet for me, I was talking about corellations between this film and a Star Trek: the Next Generation episode about time repeating itself.

With “Beautiful Dreamer”, Oshii takes the Urusei Yatsura cast for a ride as the team is preparing for a festival but for some reason, it seems like things are repeating itself and Ataru, Lum and friends start to realize something is wrong when they realize that they are the only ones in their city that are alive. Only Ataru’s home and a nearby supermarket are the only functioning parts of the city and something has gone awry.

What has happened to the word? What has happened to the school? Who’s behind it all?

Really, I don’t want to spoil the film for anyone but what I will say that the fact that Oshii was behind the creation of this film and what he was able to accomplish in his career so far, you can look back at this film and just see how the famed director/screenwriter was able to come out of his shell and really make you think. Granted, it’s not as cerebral as “Ghost in the Shell” but nevertheless, with the humor that “Urusei Yatsura” is known for but to put the cast in a situation for a film like this was quite interesting.

VIDEO:

I did not own the original DVD release back in 1998 but according to the back cover, it says it features digitally remastered video. From my viewing, I felt that the anime series on DVD looked great for a 1984 film. I’ve read that the Japanese remaster of the film was great because it was anamorphic but US Manga Corps did not use that transfer and chose to remaster it their own way. Signs still have its hard subtitles but all in all, not having owned or seen the Japanese remastered DVD, I can just tell you from my experience with this DVD that the animation looks great!

AUDIO:

I watched the film primarily in Japanese but I did watch certain parts of it with the original English dub. But I wasn’t really into the English dub (but my preference is more towards the Japanese voice acting anyway) but I’m sure those who prefer that, may enjoy it. But watching it in Japanese and hearing Hirano Fumi as Lum and Furukawa Toshio as Ataru is just fun and I love watching those two interact.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Specia features include an art galler, original Japanese trailer (which is widescreen btw…), the US trailr and trailer for the first film. The biggest special feature that makes this DVD worth owning though is the director’s commentary by Oshii Mamoru. For those who are familiar with his work know that this man is a man of few words. And for him to give commentary for a film he did back in 1984 is special. I mean…as in a rarity. So, this alone enhances this DVD and makes it a “must-buy”!

For nostalgia reasons, I really wanted to see this film again and you can purchase it online for a good price these days.

There has been so much said about this film, may it be looked as “classic” because of its storyline, because it was written and directed by Oshii Mamoru or enjoyed by many as it was one of the first anime films to be shown on television and many people watched it on the Sci-Fi channel and thoroughly enjoyed it’s repeating timeline story.

But for me the DVD was special in that I watched it with many fellow anime fans during an anime club meeting and remembering the laughs and everyone enjoying it. I remember just being around that “Urusei Yatsura”/Takahashi Rumiko crazy fandom in the early 90′s and how everyone would clamor for the fan subs. And nearly 25 years later, after its release in the theaters and just realizing how much of a classic this film is, how much of a part Oshii Mamoru played and how it influenced him on works in the future and more.

I have no idea if a new version of this film will come out in 1999 for it’s 25th Anniversary, I would imagine a Blu-ray release in Japan to celebrate it but for now and for it’s low price, for those who have been curious about this film or wondered if it is worth purchasing, the answer is a “YES”!. It’s definitely worth owning this film but also for it’s rare special feature commentary featuring Oshii Mamoru.

Definitely check it out!

+ A classic “Urusei Yatsura” film!

+ Directed and written by Oshii Mamoru

+ A rare director’s commentary by Oshii

- Not utilizing the Japanese master for this second DVD version releases

BUY THIS ANIME DVD TODAY:

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

ARJUNA Anime Legends Complete Collection (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

August 31, 2008 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“The anime does preach a lot about ecology but its an anime that is made to make viewers think and whether or not its message gets through to you or piss you off depends on the viewer. I, for one, enjoyed the series and because anime such as ‘ARJUNA’ is unique in many way, I can understand why it has received 50/50 reviews. Some will love it, some will hate it. But it’s all about the message and if one can make a change in their life because of this anime, then its mission accomplished.”

DVD INFORMATION:

DVD TITLE: ARJUNA – ANIME LEGENDS COMPLETE COLLECTION (aka Chikyu Shojo Arjuna)

DURATION: 325 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC

COMPANY: Bandai Entertainment

RATING: Unrated

STAFF INFORMATION:

DIRECTOR AND ORIGINAL CREATOR: Kawamori Shoji

SERIES COMPOSITION: Kawamori Shoji, Ohnogi Hiroshi

CHARACTER DESIGN: Kishida Takahiro

MUSIC COMPOSER: Kanno Yoko

THEME SONG BY: Sakamoto Maaya

High school, archery club, and boys were the things that filled Juna’s daily life. But when an accident leaves her clinging tenuously between life and death, fate intervenes as she becomes the sole witness to scenes of Earth’s destruction along with humanity’s reckless pollution of the sky, the Earth, and water. It is here in which Juna is given a new chance at life and bestowed the powers of the Earth, a power she must wield in order to stop an evil bent on Earth’s destruction.

Contains all 13 Episodes of Arjuna!

When it comes to ecology and the environment, it’s usually a topic that some people welcome and a topic that many people know about but really don’t want to get involved in.

And I suspect that when you have a top tier anime director/creator Kawamori Shoji (“Visions of Escaflowne”, “Super Dimension Century Macross”, “Macross Plus”, “Macross 7″, “Macross Zero” and “Macross Frontiere” to name a few) and composer Kanno Yoko, theme song by Sakamoto Maaya and character designs by Kishida Takahiro (“Tenchi Muyou”, “El Hazard”, “Heat Guy J” to name a few), you expect to have a quality anime series.

The 13-episode TV series that aired on TV Tokyo back in 2001 received a DVD release in the US back in 2002 and for so long I have wanted to watch this series.

The anime series is primarily about a teenager named Ariyoshi Juna. Your typical high school girl learning archery and spending time with boyfriend Oshima Tokio.

With her skills at archery training not going as well, she tells her boyfriend that she wants to see the sea. Tokio, being so in love with Juna, decides to take her to the sea via motorcycle and everything seems well until an entity flashes in front of them and in the process, both are thrown of the motorcycle.

Juna is rushed to the hospital and she pretty much is dead. That is until she hears a voice of Chris Hawken (a powerful entity) who tells her that he will give her life back if she saves the world. Juna is given a glimpse of the Planet Earth, especially Japan in terrible shape with drought, famine and more. Not wanting to leave her mother and Tokio behind, Juna agrees and is given her life back.

All of a sudden, while Tokio and her mother are pretty much saying goodbye to Juna, Juna awakes and runs up to the hospital roof and there she is met by some secret organization known as S.E.E.D.

It appears that Juna has a special power to turn into Earth Maiden Arjuna and able to see these monstrous worm-like entities known as Raaja (which are literally Earth’s bacteria). Arjuna thinks her job is to use her powers to fight the Raaja but Chris keeps giving her messages of “why do you want to kill?”, “What are you trying to do?” and Juna really doesn’ t know what her job truly is.

Throughout the whole series, we start learning a lot about ecology, organic food and how there is a cycle of everything that we use and eat but because of pesticides and pollution, our Earth is being hurt by it.

In one episode, Juna and Tokio stay at a farm and learn from a farmer about organic vegetables. Juna and Tokio not knowing why people would want to eat vegetables that have been eaten by bugs. Also, being taught that pesticides hurt the system. Because there is a cycle to food. The bugs, the worms undergorund, the soil, everything has its purpose.

And from that point, we see Juna becoming more of a vegetarian and just can’t eat regular food without having images. For example, Tokio tries to get her to eat at a fast food restaurant Merikan Burger and images of the cows just make her sick.

She now lives a lifestyle of wanting to protect the environment, eating the right food but yet everyone around her doesn’t understand why. They don’t like being preached about the environment, especially from her.

So, literally her relationship with her family and with her boyfriend Tokio is being tested. And her best friend Shirakawa Sayuri seems to be getting closer to Tokio because her involvement with S.E.E.D. and her enviromental perspective is dampening her relationship with everyone she’s close with.

So, for the first eleven episodes, we see as Arjuna comes into contact with the Raaja and Kawamori finds ways to get his message out to viewers on ecology, protecting the environment and how industrial pollution and pesticides and a variety of other things happening in today’s world is really hurting the environment and if people don’t change their ways, it will be too late.

Throughout the series, we meet other characters. The major player outside of Juna and Tokio is the other person with spirital power, Chris Hawken who is literally dying since he gave part of his life to revive Arjuna. He can’t talk and communicates through a young telepath named Cindy. Cindy despises Juna maily because Chris tries to get close to her and Cindy really cares for him. When Juna screws up, Chris is there to try to help in his weakened state but there is only so much he can do. But he tries to help Juna become aware of why she was chosen and why things are happening to the planet.

And in the final episodes, that is what happens. The city of Tokyo has now been invaded by the Raaja, water and food and anything that is absorbed by the Raaja is affected and people now are dying.

The series is a mix of sci-fi mecha, sci-fi bishojou magical girl and your typical high school love triangle all together in one series. The “mecha” in this series is mainly a protector of Arjuna who shows up to make sure she is not killed. The “magic girl” part in this series is what Juna can transform into. She can fly and as a weapon, use a specialized bow and arrow to fend off attacks. And of course, the high school drama is between her, Tokio and Sayuri. And of course, there is other drama such as Juna’s relationship to her mother and sister, her teacher and of course with Chris and Cindy and other members of S.E.E.D.

VIDEO:

As for the video, I enjoy anime series that show a large variety of scenery. This is anime features the city, a farming area and various locations that I really enjoy that and it really pushes the staff to create so much scenery and beautifu backgrounds and animation and all in all, I really enjoyed the animation. Granted it was created in 2001 but nevertheless, in 2008, I enjoyed it very much.

AUDIO:

I watched this series both in Japanese and English. I enjoyed the Japanese version and found Higashiyama Mami’s acting as Arjuna and Seki Tomokazu’s voice acting as Tokio to be really well done. But I soon discovered that I really do enjoy the English dub voice acting which I felt was done very well. Maggie Blue O’Hara and Andrew Francis did a great job with their voice acting as the couple and everyone else as well. So, both languages are just exceptional.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Special features include interviews with Kawamori Shoji, the cast and an Arjuna dictionary. Also, music videos.

Just an interesting note that “ARJUNA” features different ending themes and so after each episode, you more than often get a different ending theme which I found interesting. Also, a live ending that was reminiscent of the bubbly “Kare Kano” but actually featuring a school girl running into the sunset.

For me, it was a plus to get a series from Kawamori Shoji that was not “Macross” related but even moreso, an anime series that would tackle on ecology and various topics within the scope of environment but also a few other things which I don’t want to spoil for the viewer.

The series does get preachy and remember those after-school specials that were shown on TV trying to let people know about a wide range of topics from racism, ecology or something to catch your interest and make you think.

This is an anime series that does just that. There is a message that Kawamori wanted to get through and even in the anime series, a message of, if one can make a change, possibly that one can make others change.

Reading the various reviews on the Internet, I can see why this anime series is loved and hated. No one likes things being driven down their throat but on the other hand, for those who are open to hearing out another perspective, then it’s fine.

For me, I try to do my part for the environment but I’m not as hardcore as Juna. I have no qualms eating my Boca or Veggie burgers, recycling, purchasing organic vegetables and being considerate of the environment but at the same time, I have no qualms of going to Burger King and ordering a double cheeseburger as well.

But Kawamori’s message did reach out to me and this series did give me a good understanding about pesticides and for me, I enjoy learning new things and open to hearing other perspectives.

So, I enjoyed the series for that. I also enjoyed that twist of, “OK, we warned you that there will be problems if you don’t change your lifestyle” and where people think it won’t be in their lifetime, in this series, problems happen immediately and destruction and chaos comes.

Granted, when we see news about the melting glaciers, drilling for oil in the ocean because of escalating gas prices and the hole in the ozone layer, how does one feel about those topics? Passionate, bored, interested or don’t care?

So, that is where “ARJUNA” as a series is being interpreted by anime viewers. You either love it or hate it. And you either care about the message or look at it as a pathetic attempt to a person’s beliefs being driven down your throat.

For me, I enjoyed the series. It was a great blend of sci-fi, love triangles and bishojo heroines. But of course, the main thing about this series is indeed the message of making a change in your life and accepting of what is happening in this world. You either get it or you don’t. You either welcome that message or you don’t.

So, by saying that…if you are open to Kawamori’s message on the environment through a series like “ARJUNA”, check it out. If you are the last person who cares about hearing details on the environment, this anime series is definitely not for you.

+ A cool collaboration from top tier people in the industry, Kawamori Shoji, Kanno Yoko, Kishida Takahiro, Sakamoto Maaya and more.

+ I dig the message on the environment

+ Very good voice acting on both Japanese and English dubs

- Some may find this series to preachy about the environment, thus this anime is not for everyone.

BUY THIS ANIME DVD TODAY:

Filed Under: Anime on DVD, TV BOXSETS: DVD/Blu-ray

The WINGS of REAN Vol. 3 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

August 24, 2008 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“The final volume concludes with a more political storyline, more battles, more confusing characters and an ending that only Tomino Yoshiyuki would dare do in an anime series. I was literally left with a ‘what the heck just happened’ moment and had to scour the Internet to get everyone else’s opinion the final scene. You’ll either see it as brilliant or cruel!”

DVD INFORMATION:

DVD TITLE: The WINGS of REAN Vol. 3

DURATION: Approx. 48 minutes + 18 minutes (special features)

DVD INFORMATION: COLOR/NTSC / 16:9 LB / Japanese Audio (Dolby Digital 5.1 ch and Dolby Digital Stereo / English subtitles

CATALOG #: BUDH0108

COMPANY: Bandai Visual/Honneamise

RATING: Suggested 13 and Up

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

STAFF INFORMATION:

DIRECTOR: Tomino Yoshiyuki

VISUAL CONCEPT CREATOR: okama

CHARACTER DESIGN: Kudoh Masashi

MECHANICAL DESIGN: Shinohara Tamotsu, Sakura Takumi

COLOR DESIGN: Yokoyama Sayoko

ART DIRECTOR: Ikeda Shigemi

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Oogami Youichi

MUSIC: Higuchi Yasuo

SOUND DIRECTOR: Wakabayashi Kazuhiro

PRODUCED BY SUNRISE, BANDIA VISUAL, BANDAI CHANNEL

Aura Battlers dance wildly in the skies above Tokyo. Who is the Wings of Rean warrior who will save the two worlds from total annihilation?

Guided by the Auro Road, Aesap and King Sakomizu roam beyond time and space. To wipe out the festering hatred, Aesap musters his last ounce of strength and streaks through the sky!

The Hojo Army and resistance force have passed through the Auro Road and emerged on Tokyo Bay. There, the two armies decide to join forces and follow the same path. In cooperation with the Hojo Army, Rori and Kanamoto strike down Tokyo Tower, shocking the city into a state of unprecedented chaos. Meanwhile, led by the Wings of Rean, Aesap and King Sakomizu arrive in Japan at the end of the World War II. Skies riddled with B-29′s…atomic booms…the battle of Okinawa… Sakomizu is filled with anger and sadness. Aesap sees his parents before he was born. When their journey to the past ends, they find themselves in the skies above present-day Tokyo Bay.

Tomino Yoshiyuki is a director and writer that is a person who I highly regard his talent for creating such series such as “Mobile Suit Gundam” (and many more series under the Gundam monicker), “Heavy Metal L-Gaim” and “Aura Battler Dunbine”.

With the latter, Yoshiyuki introduced to viewers back in 1984, a new world known as Byston Well (a world that exists between the land and ocean) and from the 49-episode series of “Aura Battler Dunbine”, in 1988 with the three episode OAV series “Aura Battler Dunbine: The Tale of Neo Byston” and an OAV with the 1999 “Tales from Byston Well: Garzey’s Wing”.

In 2005, Tomino returned with the six episode ONA (Original Net Animation) series titled “The WINGS of REAN” which is based on a light novel of his published back in 1983 through 1986.

Before I review this final volume, I just want to say that each time I can watch a Tomino-created series, I’m excited. Similar to Shirow Masamune and other mangaka and directors, I have admired those who are able to create anime series with a detailed storyline but also see how their experience from their well-know work from the past three or four decades deviates from their modern work.

“The WINGS of REAN” is Tomino’s modern work. An ONA (original net animation) series that he said he didn’t want to recreate from the novel and at the same time create something with his young staff in mind and creating for a new generation of anime viewers.

So, with an anime series like this, there is so much story to be told, so many characters introduced but only six episodes to tell it. And unfortunately, this is the caveat for a series like “The WINGS of REAN”. Where Tomino has had the luxury of telling his stories from “Mobile Suit Gundam” to “Aura Battler Dunbine” in many episodes, but for this he has only the luxury of six episodes.

Six episodes are not enough and this series is so beautiful, characters aplenty but because the technical accomplishments of the battles and use of 3DCG, Tomino was able to get his staff to create something special but the double edge sword hurts this anime series with the fact that you hardly get any character development and viewers are limited to battles galore, characters and mecha all over the place and all out chaos.

Episode 5 titled “Above Tokyo Bay” features that similar, confusing battle of episode 1 between the Hojo Army, the resistance and this time, major buildings and landmarks in Tokyo are destroyed and possibly mass casualties.

One thing that I found important from the series is Tomino’s interview when he said the main story was always between Aesap and King Sakomizu. But early in the series, you are somewhat led to believe that the story was about Aesap and Sakomizu’s daughter Lyukus.

In episode 5, as war between the factions are now taking place in the Upper Realm with everyone fighting including the Japanese and American military, both Aesap and King Sakomizu get to see an almost real glimpse of the past during World War II.

For Sakomizu, his Japan, his Tokyo was during a time when there were land, trees and not the concrete jungle that it is now. His face and reactions is captured as a man of awe and disgust to see the land he loves, no longer the same. His goal to protect Japan from the US aggressors are spoiled to find out that Japan and the US are allies. But to see the atrocities committed through war not by the Americans who dropped the nuclear warheads in Japan but also the Okinawans and what they suffered from the Japanese Imperial Army.

As for Aesap, watching his parents….Japanese mother and American father married and even Sakomizu seeing for himself, a Japanese and American in love.

Needless to say that this episode features part of modern Tokyo being destroyed because of war and past Japan being destroyed by war. But most of all, Tomino’s gutsy coverage of the battle of Okinawa on an anime series, especially since its a touchy subject between the Okinawans and the Japanese government today.

In episode 6 titled “Sakura Tempest”, the war continues but Sakomizu’s rage of seeing how Japan has changed is starting to consume him. But most of all, to find that he was a man that was fighting for his homeland, now knowing that those who are fighting against him are the Japanese and USA military.

As for Aesap, he confronts his terrorist roommates who want nothing more but to cause destruction to Japan and he tries to put a stop to their destruction.

As volume 2 featured a spontaneous kissing scene never seen in an anime series, Tomino does something at the end of the final episode that is definitely going to make people either really ticked or people to think Tomino as creative and gutsy for the final scene alone.

VIDEO:

Since this DVD release is from Bandai Visual, and BV releases are known for its quality, the video is 16:8LB and presented with a framerate of 1.78:1. As for the animation, the animation was very colorful and the character designs are by Kudoh Masashi, known for his work his character design work for “Aquarian Age”, a few episodes of “Planetes” and “Witch Hunter Robin” but mainly for the popular series “Bleach”. The mechanical designs were done by Shinohara Tamotsu (known for his live action work with the “Kamen Rider” series and creature designs for “Samurai Deeper Kyo”) and Sakura Takumi (who has worked for Tomino in series such as “Turn A Gundam” and “Brain Powered”).

AUDIO:

With the amount of battles happening in the first episode, that is where you start to enjoy the audio from Banda Visual releases. Again, known for their quality for encoding at 448 kbps, “The WINGS of REAN” sounds very cool ala Dolby Digital 5.1.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The special feature on volume 3 features a promotional trailer and “The Wings of Rean ‘Orchestration Guide’”.

This was quite interesting to watch as Higuchi Yasuo talks about creating the music and not being held by any boundaries by Tomino and given somewhat free reign to create what he wanted.

Most of all, to hear from the musicians talk about Yasuo’s style and talking about the stress and frustration of creating the musical score for the animated series.

A lot of information and found Higuchi’s approach to music and working with Tomino quite interesting.

And similar to the past two volumes, the behind-the-scenes booklets are very informative.

Included is an interview with Shinohara Tamotsu who designed the Aura Battlers and a mechanical settings gallery. Also, an interview with Chief CG Designer Katayama Ayuki and 2D Effects Chief Furuhashi Hiroshi in regards to the challenge of creating the scenes, especially the chaotic war scenes.

A very interesting interview with Tomino Yoshiyuki in regards to his directing the 3rd installment of the series. I find his interviews fascinating, nearly cerebral in his answers of logic and more. Reading these interviews is actually what enhanced my appreciation for this animated series and what he was able to do, is not something that can be easily conveyed in a live action film Especially with so many characters and so much destruction.

And last, the book concludes with the storyboards for episode 5 and 6.

I have to admit that on my first watch, I felt that this story was just too confusing with so many characters being thrown at the viewer. Things got much better in vol. 2 as it featured more character development but vol. 3 returns to a similar setting as vol. 1 but instead of the battles galore and many people being shown (and can easily confuse the viewer), I felt that Tomino’s coverage of Sakamizo and his eyes of seeing Japan in the past and how he sees Japan in the 21st Century.

And his prejudices and how it contradicts Aesap (a half Japanese and half America) and his view of a more modern Japan just goes against everything that Sakamizo believes or thought he believed in.

Episode 5 was quite a political episode and episode 6 was more or less the grand finale.

Personally, I felt there was just too much story that could have been told and so many characters introduced that I wish that an ONA series this complicated, could have had a longer episode run.

So, with what they were able to accomplish in six episodes, especially visually, was well done. Animation was just beautiful, acting was well done and for mecha and action fans, battles galore.

And what you are left with is enjoying the series on its technical merits and what was accomplished or a lack of a strong, character driven storyline.

I’ve read so many Japanese blogs that credit Tomino’s logic and perspective and I can agree 100% with these fans because he really has an answer for every question thrown against him in the interview. So, I really enjoyed reading how his mind works (in the special booklet).

“The WINGS of REAN” is not a perfect anime series that has a share of problems and mainly, the series is just too busy with the Hojo Army and Resistance at war and Japanese and US military just thrown into the mix. It does get confusing.

But I can’t help but enjoy this series on a different level for it’s animation but also the logic behind those scenes. I will admit that the booklets that came with each volume enhanced my appreciation for this ONA series.

And last but not least, the final scene. This will depend on the viewer but I find it interesting to see how it all played out and Tomino’s way of showing that not all things end with a happy ending.

+ Another story from “Aura Battler Dunbine” written and directed by Tomino Yoshiyuki

+ Cool video and audio and an informative booklet provided again by Bandai Visual/Honneamise. Gives you appreciation of the work of the director and character designer.

+ Very good voice acting

+ A very cool interview included in the booklet. Full of information!

- No English dubs for those who need that.

- This anime series is not for everyone. A lot of characters and a lot of storyline that is pretty much made into six 20-minute OAV’s on a world and storyline that probably could be effectively told in a dozen or two dozen (or more episodes). The focus is more on the battles, character philosophies and not so much on character development.

+/- – The final scene of episode 6. You either will love it or hate it.

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

The WINGS of REAN Vol. 2 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

August 23, 2008 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“In the second volume of Tomino Yoshiyuki’s ‘The WINGS OF REAN’, The King of Hojo, Sakamizu is revealed to be a WWII Kamikaze pilot that has somehow ended up in another world. A very intriguing volume and possibly one of the best, spontaneous kissing scenes to ever be featured in an anime series!”

DVD INFORMATION:

DVD TITLE: The WINGS of REAN Vol. 2

DURATION: Approx. 48 minutes + 9 minutes (special features)

DVD INFORMATION: COLOR/NTSC / 16:9 LB / Japanese Audio (Dolby Digital 5.1 ch and Dolby Digital Stereo / English subtitles

CATALOG #: BUDH0108

COMPANY: Bandai Visual/Honneamise

RATING: Suggested 13 and Up

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

STAFF INFORMATION:

DIRECTOR: Tomino Yoshiyuki

VISUAL CONCEPT CREATOR: okama

CHARACTER DESIGN: Kudoh Masashi

MECHANICAL DESIGN: Shinohara Tamotsu, Sakura Takumi

COLOR DESIGN: Yokoyama Sayoko

ART DIRECTOR: Ikeda Shigemi

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Oogami Youichi

MUSIC: Higuchi Yasuo

SOUND DIRECTOR: Wakabayashi Kazuhiro

PRODUCED BY SUNRISE, BANDIA VISUAL, BANDAI CHANNEL

The blind ambition of King Sakomizu has been unleashed. With a premonition of impending war, Aesap and Lyukus reunite on the battlefield!!

King Sakomizu prepares for his invasion of the Upper Realm. Meanwhile, rebels within the US forces make contact with the Hojo Army. Amid premonitions of impending chaos, Aesap’s Aura Battler, Nanajin, takes to the sky!

It turns out that, just like Aesop, the King of Hoo, Sakomizu is also from the Upper Realm. And he was a kamikaze pilot in the waning days of World War II in the Pacific theater. Now that he’s acquired weapons in the Upper Realm, Sakomizu at last sets in motion his dream of invading his former home. Meanwhile, Aesap and Lyukus get separated and Aesap rides Aura Battler Nanajin in search for her. In a scuffle with the Hojo Army and resistance force, Aesap and Lyukus reunite in dramatic fashion. “I wanted to see you, Lyukus!” “Aesap!” They finally fell the warmth of each other’s embrace… but can they stop King Sakomizu?!

In 2005, Tomino returned with the six episode ONA (Original Net Animation) series titled “The WINGS of REAN” which is based on a light novel of his published back in 1983 through 1986.

Now here we are with volume 2. With volume 1, I felt that there was a big chance that viewers could have been led to a state of confusion with so many characters being thrown into the mix and there was just so much featured in terms of battles and various oppositions and really, things got too confusing.

It’s one thing to have breathtaking backgrounds and cool animation but when the storyline is hard to follow, it makes things a bit difficult.

So, let’s do a quick recap:

Aesap Suzuki - Half American and Half Japanese and the main character of the series. His father is a commander of the US military base in Iwakuni City. He lives with Rori Yahan and Heiji Kanamoto and it appears the three were going to do some terrorist activities against the American base.

Lyukus Sakomizu – The other main character who ends up being saved by Aesap. She is the daughter of Sakomizu, King of Hojo. She is rebelling against her father and takes “The Wings of Rean boots” and somehow the battle in her own world ends up in the upper realm (where humans and modern time takes place).

Amahlgan Rudol - Created a country along with the help of Sakomizu but the friendship ended with Sakomizu continued to expand his domination to other lands and now Amahlgan leads a resistance force against his former friend.

In episode 3 titled “Groundling Aura Force”, after the last confrontation between Sakomizu’s forces, Amahlgan’s forces and Aesop and Lyukus, Aesop ends up on Sakomizu’s side and doing what he can, so he can get close to Lyukus. Lyukus on the other hand is now with Amahlgan’s village. If anything, what is known is that a battle between the King of Hojo Sakomizu and Amahlgan is going to happen.

But the most important reveal was that Lyukus’ father Sakomizu was from Japan as well. And in his mind, wants to take his weapons from the new world and destroy the Americans and even the Japanese and take the war back to the Upper Realm.

In episode 4 titled “The King’s Designs”, the Hojo army has captured Amalghan and Lyukus. Both are imprisoned but for Aesop, he will do what he can to find Lyukus. And the war between the Hojo Army and the Resistance goes into full force.

VIDEO:

AUDIO:

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The special feature includes Tomino’s Aerial Research Documentary “Over Tokyo 2006″. Pretty much Tomino Yoshiyuki goes on a helicopter ride and takes pictures of Tokyo from above. Scouting areas that will be seen in the battle in the Upper Realm for OAV episode 5. Storyboards are shown and animation as well in this 17-minute special feature.

This was pretty cool and good to see how the scouting location paid off for Tomino and crew as evident in episode 5.

And similar to the previous volume, there is “The WINGS of REAN” behind-the-scenes book with another in-depth interview with Tomino Yoshiyuki and his approach to the second installment. The interviewer does a great job asking questions in regards to scenes, setting, storyline and more.

Yoshiyuki does talk about the difficulties he had with these ONA’s because he was working on the Zeta movies at the same time and thus when he was working on these episodes, he approached it as a movie version and mentioned that he should have taken a single, self-contained episode approach instead. And how he had regretted that.

Also, another interesting reveal is when asked why the content on the ONA’s are different from the novel, Tomino tells the interviewer that he does not like to take something from the past and doing it again. He wants to create something original and in this case, from the vision of a new generation through his young staff.

Also, because many people are not familiar with the novels or have seen “Aura Battler Dunbine” or “Garzey’s Wings”, it was really cool to have Bandai Visual to explain things from the novel and certain areas that may have been cloudy for those unfamiliar with Tomino’s works.

And of course there is so much to the interview that it is worth reading. Also included is another interview but with okama (Visual Concept Creator), rough sketch gallery, storyboards and more.

Again, Bandai Visual does a great job of supplying a booklet that really features a lot of information!

With episode 3 and 4, I actually enjoyed it because now things are a bit settled down, you can focus on the characters and get a little bit more of character development than too many images and battles from the first volume.

I really do feel that “the WINGS of REAN” is a story that needs more than six episodes to tell. With so many characters and so many things happening, it’s really easy to get lost with this anime but unlike the first volume with fighting and characters all over the place, you get to see character development. How Lyukus and her mother don’t get along. How Lyukus is really compassionate towards Amalghan and how he shows the same thing back for his former friend’s (and now enemy) daughter.

If there is one highlight from this series, it’s episode 4 and it’s one of the most spontaneous kissing scenes you will ever see in an anime. I was quite surprised of how much was put into that kissing scene but nevertheless, I enjoyed it.

Again, the series is beautiful to watch. Great background, cool mecha and space ships galore but at the same time, so many characters that it’s easy to get confused. Not as bad as the first volume but fortunately, episodes 3 & 4 is much easier to follow and I found it quite enjoyable.

Again, the booklet that has come with these first two volumes are just amazing. Very in-depth interview with Tomino and he speaking his mind especially sharing plus and negatives of his experiences in working o this animation series and things that he wish he had done.

This series is not going to be for everyone especially those who want an well-written, in-depth storyline. The truth is that you have a world created by Tomino and a storyline that probably worked so well in the novel but there is only so much you can do with six episodes. Give him 50 like he has done with Mobile Suit Gundam and I would be curious to see how different the series would have turned out.

But nonetheless, again, I enjoyed this second volume and I definitely look forward to the next and final volume.

+ Another story from “Aura Battler Dunbine” written and directed by Tomino Yoshiyuki

+ Cool video and audio

+ an informative booklet provided again by Bandai Visual/Honneamise. Gives you appreciation of the work of the director and character designer.

+ I really enjoyed the special feature of watching Tomino on scout location via helicopter around Tokyo and taking pictures and seeing the storyboards and eventually how it all played out in episode 5.

+ Very good voice acting

+ A very cool interview included in the booklet. Full of information!

- No English dubs for those who need that

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

NOW AND THEN, HERE AND THERE DVD COLLECTION (A J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

August 18, 2008 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“An anime series that shows a perspective of war through the eyes of a young teen. The savagery, the brutality and how even through darkness, how hope can go along way. A riveting anime series that is worth watching and even worth owning! “

DVD INFORMATION:

DVD TITLE: NOW AND THEN, HERE AND THERE DVD COLLECTION

DURATION: 325 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Animated, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC

COMPANY: Central Park Media/ US Manga Corps

RATING: 16 and Up

STAFF INFORMATION:

DIRECTOR & ORIGINAL CREATOR: Daichi Akitaro

SERIES COMPOSITION & SCREEN PLAY: Kurata Hideyuki

MUSIC: Iwasaki Taku

CHARACTER DESIGN: Ohizumi Atsushi, Nishino Rie

ART DIRECTOR: Nomura Masanobu

CHIEF DIRECTOR: Nishino Rie

CAST INFORMATION:

Matsutani “Shu” Shuzo – Okamura Akemi

Lala-Ru – Nazuka Kaori

Tabool – Suyama Akio

Sara – Nakao Azusa

Boo – Konishi Hiroko

Hamdo – Ishii Kouji

Abelia – Yasuhara Reiko

Sis – Matsumoto Rica

Nabuca – Imai Yuka

Dragged through a time warp by a strange machine, Shu is thrust into a hellish future as it explodes into war! He is caught in the carnage as a tyrant unleashes deadly force against a rebel army. But Shu is not alone… He is surrounded by courageous soldiers, a battalion of enslaved children and enigmatic wanderers, each with their own fascinating story. Together, they face the ultimate challenge of survival in a world gone mad!

I’ve read so much about “NOW AND THEN, HERE AND THERE” for so many years.

Pretty much about the brutality featured in war and children having to fight in war. War can be depicted in so many ways on screen but director Daichi Akitaroh (Director of Jubei-Chan the Ninja Girl and Elf Princess Rane) wanted to show how dark, dangerous and sick war can be.

You also have the talents of screenwriter Kurata Hideyuki onboard and is works with “R.O.D.”, “Kamichu!”, “Excel Saga” and many other series is well noted.

But for the series main protagonist, not a knight in shining armor but a naive young teenager who believes in himself and others and his passion for survival and not at all submitting himself to the woes of a war is what I found quite interesting

This 13-episode anime series aired on WOWOW in Japan back in 1999-2000, was released on DVD in the US by Central Park Media/US Manga Corps back in 2002 and is currently airing on the Sci-Fi Channel in 2008.

I figured I wanted to watch for myself of how this anime series truly is and figure out if it would impact me the same way anime such as “The Grave of the Fireflies” or “Barefoot Gen”. And although those anime can be seen as ultimately depressing ie. casualty of war, I know “NOW AND THEN, HERE AND THERE” for some reviewers felt it was too much for them because of the brutality and torture of key characters. So, I had to watch it myself and see if I felt the same.

The storyline of “NOW AND THEN, HERE AND THERE” is about a teenager named Shu. Shu is naive, almost a brat in someways and it shows in his technique during Kendo training. No focus, just all out attack and not worrying about defense.

One day as he walks home from his training, he goes up a water tower and sees a girl sitting down. As he tries to communicate with her, some monsters and space craft teleport to capture her. Shu goes to rescue the girl.

After some intense fighting, everyone is teleported back to another time. Where war and strife is common and water is a resource that is not available and rationed.

Whoever owns water will be powerful and thus a dictator named Hamdo wants it.

Hamdo who has conquered towns and killed many, destroyed their villages and whoever survives has become part of their army, typically the children who are then forced to be soldiers and inflict the same kind of destruction and pain on other villages by a the dictator’s false promise that upon wars end, they get to go back to their village.

The Hamdo and the army of Hellywood knows they need the water and to do that, they need the girl named Lala-Ru.

Lala-Ru is the keeper of a bracelet and with her power and the bracelet, she has the power to create water or oceans but each time it is used, she uses up her life force.

Both Shu and Lala-Ru are held captive but Lala-Ru’s bracelet is held by Shu and eventually loses it. But Hamdo, being the evil maniac he is, tortures Shu to find out where the bracelet is.

In Hellywood, you are introduced to other kids who are in the army such as Nabuco. Nabuco is the top of young soldier list and is seen as a leader and wants so much to return back home to his village but knows he must kill to do so.

Because he is saved by Shu, he tries to help Shu at a distance and eventually trying to convert Shu to a soldier.

You meet Sara, another person from Earth transported to this new world and has been serving time in jail because she looks like Lala-Ru. Shu promises her that he will find a way for them to go back home but for Sara, although not tortured, she is served by Hellywood to one of their soldiers to be raped.

The scenes of rape and torture are not shown on the DVD’s. It’s pretty much implied by the screams that you hear and how Shu and Sara are after their ordeal. Shu beaten up and bloodied, Sara who’s demeanor has changed considerably after the rape.

It’s a dark anime series but you end up rooting for these people who have suffered from tyranny and just hope they can overcome their challenges, survive and go back home.

VIDEO:

For a 1999-2000 TV series, the animation was simple, clean but the overall background theme of a desolate desert-like appearance of the land due to the lack of water and drought was well featured. The use of oranges and reds and browns, earth colors are used to showcase the overall feel of the series outdoors.

But all in all, I felt the animation to be well done, colorful and for a series nearly a decade old, everything looks very good.

AUDIO:

The series is presented in English, Dolby Digital 5.1 and in Japanese via dolby digital stereo. I watched the series mainly in Japanese and Shu’s voice really makes him feel like a young teenage kid, while in the English dub, it gives an impression that he is slightly older.

But both audio presentations are done quite well!

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The box set features a lot of special features and each volume (disc 1-3) showcases an art gallery, character sketches, mechanical sketches, background sketches, textless closing, storyboards, sneak peeks and DVD-Rom.

The fourth disc features more exclusive special features with a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the series and interview with the Central Park Media staff behind-the-scenes. Also, never-before-seen production sketches and storyboards, the Japanese opening and much more!

This is what you pretty much expect from a box set and again, Central Park Media/US Manga Corps delivered in this respect. They really give you your money’s worth with their collections and if you were going to buy this series, the box set is the best place to go and you can find it online quite cheap these days.

I really enjoyed the series and each episode was quite riveting and really didn’t want to stop watching once I started. The episodes really draw you in and there is a lot of intrigue and overall a well-written storyline and both the Japanese and English voice acting are well done.

The overall mood of war, how one has been affected by war was seen through the atmosphere created by staff and also the well-done acting to make you feel the pain of war. The storyline was well-written and each episode is definitely going to keep you glued and not wanting to stop. But also, I expect that the darkness of war and the things that happen during war time is not something everyone can see.

Yes, there is torture and their is rape. The major torture or rape scenes are not shown on this DVD but you know it happened after you see the mannerisms and the faces of Shu and Sara.

No one wants to see villages full of families and babies getting decimated by war but in war and watching the tyranny of Hellywood and its young soldiers doing the same things that were inflicted upon them by the same group they serve for is a key to show the state of how the soldiers are in.

A series built upon the survival and struggle of war is never meant to make the viewer feel easy but if anything, this series does give you hope. Hope for the main characters to get back to their homeland and hope that the war and the tyranny will end.

If I did have any problems with the anime series was the main character of Shu. If a cat has nine lives, Shu must be a cat because he was able to survive a lot of ordeals. But the main problem that I have is that Shu, literally a young teenager was able to accomplish a lot, as if he had some sort of superhuman status at times. So, I did he feel Shu’s character may be given a bit too much heroic/athletic abilities for his age and what he was able to accomplish

Granted, a person with determination and persistence can accomplish a lot but for Shu to accomplish what he did in this anime series, director and original creator Daichi Akitaroh really made this young character to a hero and able to accomplish things despite injuries, torture and yet keeping his head high and not being broken down. Definitely a rough contrast to reality, especially from those who have suffered war.

But all in all, this series was very enjoyable. Very solid storytelling and makes me wonder if there is room for a second series.

Nevertheless, I finally watched this series for myself and yes, the anime does show the dark side of war and not everyone is going to watch it because of the brutality of the soldiers and war is never beautiful. Especially with the psycho tyrannic dictator of Hamdo that is just creepy and makes you wonder why no one in his army has assassinated him.

But you do see the light through the actions of Shu and how he is able to change people through his will and determination.

An awesome box set DVD release from Central Park Media and a series worth owning!

+ Awesome anime series!

+ Characters that you care about! And well acted both in Japanese and in English.

+ Special features galore!

- This series may be too dark and brutal for some viewers. And main character Shu is given too much credit for his athletic and heroic abilities for a young teen.

ANIME DVD REVIEWS | ASIAN ENTERTAINMENT/POP CULTURE DVD REVIEWS

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

GUNBUSTER vs DIEBUSTER – THE GATTAI!! MOVIE – AIM FOR THE TOP! DVD-BOX (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

August 14, 2008 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“Both ‘Gunbuster’ and ‘Gunbuster 2′ series get a film adaption but that means a trimming of scenes from the OAV series but on the positive side, new audio is featured for the original ‘Gunbuster’ and new footage included for ‘Gunbuster 2′.”

DVD INFORMATION:

DVD TITLE: GUNBUSTER vs DIEBUSTER – THE GATTAI!! MOVIE – AIM FOR THE TOP! DVD-BOX (aka Top o Nerae 2! & Top o Nerae! Gattai Gekijouban)

DURATION: 190 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Dolby Digital Stereo, Japanese language, English Subtitles, Region 1

CATALOG #: BUDH0138/013

COMPANY: Bandai Visual/Honnemaise

Released back in 2004

Gunbuster the Movie – As humanity sets out for distance space, a Machine Weapon squadron is created to combat the onrushing opposition of the Space Monsters! To avenger her father’s death and to win victory for all mankind, Noriko Takaya, scouted for her potential, joins her “One-sama,” Kazumi Amano, aiming to become an elite pilot -a “Top!” The curtain rises on their hard and perilous battle!! – Diebuster the Movie – In a future where the Space Monsters resume their invasion of the Sol System, the abilities of the young men and women known as the Topless, and their Buster Machines, are mankind’s final line of defense! One day, runaway girl Nono sets out for the capital to become a space pilot, and meets the figther ace Lal’C…neither realizing that the future of humanity rests on both of them!

I love this series so much. I needed to get that out first.

With my reviews for the first “Gunbuster” (Top o Nerae!) box set and then the DVD’s for “Gunbuster 2″ (Top o Nerae! 2 aka Diebuster), when I first heard about the film projects, which literally are abridged versions of the OAV series, at first I was a bit skeptical because there is so much storyline and character development, to try and make a movies out of these series, something has to suffer right?

Well, part of the exciting experiences of being a “Gunbuster” fan was the realization that the original voice actors were going to re-record their lines, there would be new sound effects and a 5.1 digital audio track.

As for “Gunbuster 2″, the film would feature new footage.

While my original reviews go into more detail on the films, I’ll give my impressions of each film.

For “Top o Nerae” (Aim for the Top Gunbuster) or “Gunbuster” was the directorial debut of acclaimed director Hideaki Anno, Gunbuster is a legendary anime fan favorite that casts pretty girls and giant robots into a moving epic of insterstellar naval war.

2015: Earth’s first faster-than-light ship, the Luxion, is lost, attacked by unidentified space monsters in the Perseus Arm. Six years later, Noriko Takaya, daughter of the Luxion’s commander, enters the Okinawa girls’ Space Pilot High School, vowing to be a pilot and follow her father’s trail to the stars. But is she prepared for the intense training to become a member of the elite Top Squadron? Noriko’s fight has just begun-and the fate of all humanity depends on her meeting the challenge!

The film features parts of the six OAV’s spliced together in one film. You lose a lot of the character development and the challenges that made the OAV really special. So, the things that you may have enjoyed from OAV episodes 1-3 which feature the struggles and challenges Noriko had to overcome, these are the segments that are cut the most and only a few parts are featured in the film.

But despite the cuts, the film manages to take the essential parts from the series and in all sense and purpose, the main focus and storyline of Takaya Noriko become a beginner and then training to become a talented pilot is featured.

And again, it’s understandable because it is a film and the cuts were necessary, otherwise if we didn’t want to watch it with the cuts, you can always forego film and focus on the OAV series.

If anything, the fourth and the fifth final OAV from “Gunbuster” is probably the only part from the series that doesn’t receive that many cuts or any cuts at all.

As mentioned before, with a new digital 5.1 track, that would mean that the film would have to be recreated audio-wise. Bringing back the original actors for voice work and adding more special effects.

The audio is indeed clearer and truthfully, I did not notice much of a difference between Hidaka Noriko’s voice work of the main character Noriko but those who have seen the film have said her voicework is much more polished.

So, overall staying with what Bandai Visual/Honneamise are known best for, it’s providing a high quality video and audio encoding on the DVD. And by saying that, as a Bandai Visual release, there is no English dub. So, if you are really hoping the new audio would bring possibly an English dub release, you won’t find it in this box set.

Unfortunately, the special features are just text bios and unfortunately, there are no video interviews or anything. (note: An announcement was made that the Japanese Blu-ray edition will feature interviews and more special features, let’s hope the film receives the same treatment if there is a Blu-ray release in the US.)

As for “Top o Nerae 2 – Diebuster” (or Gunbuster 2),the original “Gunbuster” OAV series had Anno Hideaki directing, the new series would feature “FLCL’s” Tsurumaki Kazuya as the original planner and director, Enokido Yoji writing the screenplay and character designs by Sadamoto Yoshiyuki. So, that alone had people guessing how three of the people behind “FLCL” would do in creating “Gunbuster 2″ would definitely be interesting.

For “Gunbuster 2″, we are introduced to Nono and Lal’C. Lal’C is part of the group know as the “topless” who are Gunbuster pilots and members of the Anti-Space Monster Interception Squad of the Fraternity. For Nono, she wants to be like the historic pilot known as Nono-Riri. And her first meeting with a “topless” has made her want to become a Gunbuster pilot even more. But what was revealed is that Nono is not your average type of person. She is a robot that happens to have some special abilities. You also start to realize that the space monsters are still there and ruthless than before.

As for the film, similar to “Gunbuster”, parts of the OAV series are cut to make an abridged film version. Whereas the original was created in 1988 and had to feature a new soundtrack, “Gunbuster 2″ was created in 2004 and featured newer footage and the cuts made weren’t too bad.

Where “Gunbuster” really took you on an emotional rollercoaster ride, the main focus of “Gunbuster 2″ of an android Nono who wants to be a pilot is there.

There wasn’t that much of an emotional ride in “Gunbuster 2″ until later in the series and thus, a lot of that emotional bond between Nono and Lal’c remains in the film.

There are some noticeable changes such as the scene from the OAV series starting out with Nono getting her name (Nono Riri) from Noriko (main character from the original Gunbuster) and also, the film does not feature Nono’s amazing attack abilities that she displayed in the first episode, it’s not featured in the early part of the film.

Also, instead of focusing on other pilots and how Nono was treated by them, the main focus is on the friendship between Nono and Lal’C.

So, of the two films, “Gunbuster 2″ came out the best mainly because the majority of the story really kicks in during the latter half of the OAV series whereas the original, I felt that each episode was equally important.

Nevertheless, the ending scene from “Gunbuster 2″ and how it ties into the first “Gunbuster” was just touching and overall, I enjoyed the film version of “Gunbuster 2″.

As for video and audio quality, top notch audio and video encoding from Bandai Visual/Honneamise since it’s a newer anime series and the colors are quite vibrant. Sound very clear and good use of audio direction coming from the speakers. And for those looking for an English dub, there is no English audio option for this DVD as well.

Of course, the OAV series featured important special features and featurettes that made me enjoy “Gunbuster 2″ so much more, there are only text bios of the staff featured on the disc. No special features in terms of interviews or featurettes.

What the box set does include are two booklets for both films with some technical jargon definitions, character bios and information on the mecha and spacecraft.

Included are 11 post cards which feature a heroine comparison between Takaya Noriko and Nono, Kazumi and Lal’C, Gunbuster’s Top Squadron and Gunbuster 2′s Fraternity and more. Also, comparisons for costumes, machine weapons, buster machine, cockpit, space monster, flagship comparisons and much more.

Last but not least, included is a Certification Exam for the hardcore “Gunbuster” fans and fans can take the exam online from the Bandai Visual website.

I guess the big question people wonder is if you own the OAV series, would you want the “Gattaii!! Movie” box-set?

My feeling on this is that, personally, I would go nuts if I was a “Gunbuster” fan and knew that despite the cuts made to the OAV series to make a feature film, not only do you get a film with a new audio track and another film with new footage.

Similar to Mobile Suit Gundam’s 08th MS Team “Miller Report” anime special, for that you only received several minutes of new footage and some people felt it wasn’t worth it. I felt that extra footage 1 minutes or more minutes, it’s still worth owning if you were a big fan and really enjoyed the series. The same goes with this box set.

And the same goes with this film. There is more than just a few minutes, you get the original cast from the first OAV series (which was created back in 1988) and having them redub the vocals over 15 years later. That’s pretty cool! Granted, I wish there were special features featuring those character’s return and an interview with them.

But of course, if you truly want to enjoy the series thoroughly, I highly recommend purchasing the OAV series.

And if you own the OAV series for both “Gunbuster” and “Gunbuster 2″, this “GATTAI!! MOVIE” box set is worth it because it’s two “Gunbuster” films and it features some new audio or footage

As for the personal experience, I’ll be truthful that the enjoyment for both series was watching the original OAV series. And the inclusion of the booklets and special features, especially for “Gunbuster 2″ really enhanced my appreciation for it.

This movie box set was more of a side dish after a wonderful dinner. The question is if you are hungry enough to purchase that side dish.

I have no idea if the Blu-Ray version of this set will be coming out, because if it is, you may want to wait since the Japanese version just announced mentioned interviews included in the special features.

But if it’s not going to be released and if you don’t own the OAV series yet, I recommend purchasing the OAV series first. The OAV series in its original format are just a blast to watch, do come with some special features especially for “Gunbuster 2″. And both come with informative booklets that really make you appreciate the OAV series even more.

And if you enjoy and fell in love with both OAV series like I did, then definitely check out this box set!

UPDATE: The Blu-ray for this box set will be released in the US. In addition to 1080p High Definition visuals and lossless audio, the first titles will be subtitled in English and French, and multi-lingual dubbing is being decided on a title-by-title basis. The products, to be released in Japan, North America, France and UK, will be identical to domestic Japanese products except that translated notes may be added in some cases.

Street Date: November 21, 2008 (Japan); Nov. 25 (USA); Dec. 2 (France); Nov. 24 (UK)
Pricing: 14,800 JPY(Japan); 99.98 USD(USA); 64.99 EUR(France); 49.99 GBP (UK)
Product: Three (3) Blu-ray Disc Box Set/COLOR（partly B/W）/approx. 280 min. /
Japanese Language/English & French Subtitles
Technical: Disc 1 (GUNBUSTER The Movie): Dolby True HD 5.1ch (Linear PCM
Stereo) / AVC / BD-50G /4:3, partly 16:9 [1080p Hi-Def]
Disc 2 (DIEBUSTER The Movie): Dolby True HD 5.1ch (Linear PCM
Stereo) / AVC / BD-50G /16:9 [1080p Hi-Def]
Disc 3 (Bonus Disc): Linear PCM Stereo / AVC / BD-50G /16:9, partly 4:3
[1080p Hi-Def]
Bonus Items: Two (2) Booklets with English/French translation notes.

+ Anything “Gunbuster” related is a plus!

+ New audio for “Gunbuster”, new footage for “Gunbuster 2″

+ Both “Gunbuster” and “Gunbuster 2″ OAV series get the film treatment

- Because they are films, the OAV series had to be trimmed and a lot of the character development between the main character and other characters are not explored thoroughly in the film version.

- No English dub for those who want that option.

ANIME DVD REVIEWS | ASIAN ENTERTAINMENT/POP CULTURE DVD REVIEWS

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

Transformers Cybertron: The Ultimate Collection (A J!-ENT anime DVD Review)

August 13, 2008 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“The ultimate collection of another Transformers animated series that would introduce more Autobots, Decepticons and characters in 52-episodes. If you are a fan, especially a collector of Transformers merchandise, this anime alone brought so much to the fans. As for viewers, it might not be for everyone but for its sheer amount of characters, cool battles, even some deaths, it was an enjoyable series overall!”

DVD INFORMATION:

DVD TITLE: Transformers Cyberton: The Ultimate Collection

DURATION: 1144 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Animated, Box set, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC

COMPANY: Paramount Home Entertainment

RATING: 13 and up

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

STAFF INFORMATION:

DIRECTOR: Ono Manabu

CYBERTRON, the TRANSFORMERS’ home planet, is on the brink of destruction as an ominous Black Hole looms. In order to save their world, the TRANSFORMERS embark upon an intergalactic scavenger hunt across the universe searching for the lost Cyber Planet Keys. The evil DECEPTICONS, villains unlike any you have seen before, are in a race against the heroic AUTOBOTS to recover the Cyber Planet Keys – keys that have the power to unlock the CYBERTRON planet itself, creating the greatest TRANSFORMER the universe has ever seen! The battle will span the galaxy in a race to wield the all powerful keys and save their home world of CYBERTRON from certain doom!

The TRANSFORMERS CYBERTRON: The Ultimate Collection seven-DVD set is presented in full screen format with Dolby Digital English Stereo. The collection includes all 52 episodes from the series and has a running time of 19 hours, 4 minutes.

I’ve noticed a lot of reviews on other sites that are calling “Transformers Cybertron” the worst. A lot of these reviewers haven’t really watched a “Transformers” animation since the first series back in the 80′s or “Beast Wars” in the 90′s.

But of all series, “Transformers Cybertron” (aka Transformers: Galaxy Force in Japan) is one of my favorite “Transformers” animation series since the original G1 series.

Like most “Transformers” series, the target are children and hopes for children to buy the toys. But of course, among the older and hardcore collectors, this anime was so cool because it would introduce so many characters and also feature a large amount of Transformers merchandise.

The series focus on three young humans Coby (the teenager gifted at mechanics), his younger brother Bud (your typical young child) and Lori (a teenage friend of Coby and obviously she likes him. And a person that can easily get frustrated).

To make a long story short, the autobots have evacuated to the Planet Earth after the destruction of Unicron has left a black hole. With the black hole threatening their planet, the Autobots must find a way to stop the black hole from devouring their planet and the whole universe.

The three humans discover the Autobots and after developing trust and friendship, the humans assist the Optimus Prime and the other Autobots who are trying to find the legendary Cyber Planet Keys and Omega Lock thanks to the help of an ancient Autobot named Vector Prime. Of course, the Decepticons are after the same thing.

The four Cyber Planet keys are scattered in four worlds. Planet Earth, the Speed Planet (Velocitron), the Jungle Planet and Gigantion, the Giant Planet.

And the adventure focuses on the search for the keys and Omega Lock but at the same time, with each planet, introducing more characters (Autobot, Decepticon or neutral), as well as other earthlings who are curious about the alien robots.

The series is quite long and in Japan, typically the anime with longer series are typically good for merchandise sales. May it be “Gundam”, “Pokemon” or “Naruto”, the same here in the US as a lot of “Transformers Cybertron” merchandise came out and if you were a collector of the line, to have so many Transformers (Autobots and Decepticons) from the various planets, small, tall or humongous was just satisfying.

As an adult, I enjoyed this series and as a father, my son was introduced to Transformers because of this series.

There are many battles, there are some Transformer deaths as well. But overall, the series was enjoyable if you stayed in it for the long haul.

There are some differences between the Japanese and American animations aside from character names and opening and ending themes but one difference is the leader of Velocitron (Speed Planet) in the US version is Override (a female Autobot) but in the Japanese version Override aka Nitro Convoy is a male character.

But all in all, I found “Transformers Cybertron” to be enjoyable, as a fan of the series and a fan of mecha, is the sheer number of robots introduced in this series.

A little bit of inclusion of things from the past such as combining Transformers that would combine with Optimus Prime or Megatron, the addition of minicons and much more.

VIDEO:

As for the DVD, the video quality is as expected for a newer series. The animation is colorful, vibrant.

AUDIO:

The series featured more dialog and music, so don’t expect any major audio channels. I didn’t expect any inclusion of the Japanese audio on this DVD, especially since the US and Japanese names of the robots are all different.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

I was disappointed that there are no special features. That would have been cool to feature something but there are no special features included.

I know…I know… many reviewers who plopped this DVD expecting some major Autobot vs. Decepticon with the same amount of carnage as the first animated film or even the live film would probably be a bit upset that things seem pedestrian because of the humans and robots working together.

Again, “Transformers” is geared towards children but there are many adults who treasure the series and are heavy collectors as well.

But for me, the whole 52-episodes was fun to watch so many characters be introduced and then to see the many various battles, especially as the episodes starts to near its end. This was the only Transformers series that actually made me buy nearly every merchandise at that time because I enjoyed it that much and it was definitely a great series for me and my son can enjoy together.

Too bad there aren’t any special features but still, you do get a lot of episodes in this ultimate collection and the price to obtain it online is much lower than retail.

Granted, those who are coming into this series thinking of the old school Transformers may or may not get into it and I can understand why some reviewers may dislike it. But for those who are “Transformers” fans and also a collector of the merchandise, the series was one of the better ones to come in a long time in my opinion.

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Filed Under: Anime on DVD, TV BOXSETS: DVD/Blu-ray